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They gave Nazi salutes and shouted “White power” as they thundered through Roxboro in the middle of the afternoon.

The open display by a movement condemned as a hate group illustrates the way many believe Mr Trump’s election win – after a campaign in which he promised to ban foreign Muslims from entering the country, ridiculed a disabled reporter and described Mexicans as rapists and drug smugglers – had unleashed dark forces.

KKK officers gave journalists and opponents the runaround all day to avoid the threat of counter-demonstrations.

The 30-strong convoy appeared at about 3pm in Roxboro, flying Confederate flags.

Several men, dressed in black shirts festooned with patches declaring them members of the “Secret Empire” gave Nazi salutes as they drove up Main Street to the shock of passers-by.

Amanda Barker, part of the husband and wife team that runs the KKK’s North Carolina chapter, said members wanted to be part of Mr Trump’s win.

“I thought when Trump was elected the membership would drop because the white people got a white president,” she said. “But that wasn’t the case.

“People are waking up, thinking ‘I’m not hiding away, I can be proud to be white once more.”

She said they planned to hold a cross burning ceremony in the evening if the wind died down to a safe level. The display is a reminder that America remains a hotbed of racial inequality and hostility, despite electing its first black president in 2008.

The Loyal White Knights, as they are also known, has campaigned for a white and Christian America since it was founded 150 years ago in the defeated Southern states after the Civil War. Its ugly tactics have included lynchings and racial violence.

In recent years it has been reduced to an irrelevant rump movement. Only a handful of members were believed to be responsible for hosting online chatroom or posting flyers.

On Thursday, during a victory rally in Cincinnati, Mr Trump attempted to distance himself from extremist supporters. “We condemn bigotry and prejudice in all of its forms. We denounce all of the hatred and we forcefully reject the language of exclusion and separation,” he said. “We are going to come together. We have no choice, we have to -- and it's better. It's better.”

However, critics said the words lacked conviction compared with the barnstorming delivery of the rest of the speech, and KKK organisers say they remain committed to Mr Trump.